Prevalence of long-term complications of COVID-19 infection in patients with underlying disease

BACKGROUND: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is still a health problem worldwide. As our current knowledge about the interaction of various underlying diseases and their management in COVID-19 mortality is gradually evolving, the current study investigated the complications and outcomes of COVID-19 up to 1 year after infection in individuals with underlying diseases. METHODS: In a retrospective cohort study, 725 patients with COVID-19 (414 women and 311 men) who had a history of specific diseases were selected and included in the study. The medical records of COVID-19 patients admitted to Kowsar Hospital, Iran, with cancer, kidney disease, history of organ transplant, history of cerebrovascular accident ‎(CVA), and rheumatic diseases between 2020 and 2021 were investigated. In order to collect information about the condition of the patients and the complications, the patients were contacted until 1 year after contracting COVID-19. For analytical purposes and hypotheses, the chi-square t-test and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used. Data analysis was performed in Stata software. RESULTS: The most common underlying diseases among hospitalized patients were rheumatic diseases (28.3%), followed by cancer (25.5%), and a history of CVA (16.6%). Despite the treatment, 241 patients (33.2%) died, and 96 of them (13%) died after being discharged from the hospital. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study showed that decrease in appetite and increase in the duration of hospitalization can be predictors of the probability of death after COVID-19 infection in patients with a history of the studied underlying diseases.